


If Dean Only Had a Brain

by KissYourSanityGoodbye



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst, Bullied Castiel, Dean Saves Castiel, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Dean, M/M, Protective Dean Winchester, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-12 19:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7946440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KissYourSanityGoodbye/pseuds/KissYourSanityGoodbye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam rolls his eyes, "You practically bend over backwards for Cas, Dean. I once saw you physically threaten a guy just because he 'looked at Castiel a mean way.' And Cas, man, he looks at you like you not only hung the moon, but came up with the concept of having a giant rock revolving the Earth, and then hand drew each constellation to complement that rock."</p>
            </blockquote>





	If Dean Only Had a Brain

Fuckin' Meg.

Dean didn't have any real reason to have a problem with the girl. Hell, the first thing he thought when he saw the new student was the she was pretty hot and he may hook-up with her should the opportunity arise. But then he saw the way she was flirting and practically hanging off Castiel all the time and now it seemed his teeth were permanently set on edge. Of course Cas had been asked to show her around the school (probably as a punishment for punching some dick last week when he lost his temper. Needless to say Dean had been very proud.) and help her get assimilated. And of course he agreed because he was so damn nice. And because the school basically didn't give him a choice.

At first, he was able to ignore the heated looks Meg had been sending Cas. He could pretend he hadn't notice the way she was appreciatively checking out his ass the day Cas had showed her how to get to the science lab. He had turned to other cheek when Meg 'accidentally' grabbed said ass the following day. Dean didn't know _why_ it bothered him so much, but it did. He probably just hated watching his best friend get objectified.

It was all made worse when it seemed all of this didn't seen to bother Castiel in the slightest, and that he actually started to seem to enjoy Meg's weird brand of friendship.

He had to deal with Meg trying to get into Cas' pants all week and now it's Friday and naturally Dean was once again being treated to a show of Meg running her hand down Castiel's arms and using a voice that was all sex, "So, Clarence. How about you come over to  my place this weekend and I can give you a little thank you for being oh so helpful." 

It was like Dean physically had to hold back the urge to shout, " _Get your damn hands of my best friend."_

Cas shot him a wide-eyed a look asking for help, and Dean couldn't help the overwhelming relief that Cas wasn't going to take her up on that offer. As to why the idea of Meg and Cas... doing stuff... made him sick to his stomach he didn't know.

"Sorry Meg, Cas and I have plans tonight." He wishes he could say he tried to keep the smug satisfaction out of his voice.

Meg narrows her dark eyes and asks suspiciously, "What do you have planned?"

"Uh..."

"The apple orchard," Castiel blurts, "Dean promised he would give me a ride to the apple orchard."

"The _apple orchard_?" Meg snorts. And Dean  _almost_ snorts because he always knew his best friend was a bit dorky, but come on, a _fruit garden?  This_ was the best lie that Cas could come up with?

"Whatever." Meg finally says. "Catch ya later, Clarence. And then she's walking away. _  
_

"Why of all the possible things would you say apple orchard as a lie?"

Cas actually looks a little embarrassed, and there's a faint blush appearing on his cheeks, "I actually was going to go to the apple orchard this weekend, Dean. I thought I would try out my grandmother's pie recipe." He's blushing even more now.

Dean is thoughtful for a moment, "How are you gonna get there?"

Castiel looks surprised that Dean had not immediately started teasing him, "I was gonna walk, it's only about 45 minutes from my house."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll take you after school."

"You really don't have to Dean, I know orchards aren't really you're thing."

"C'mon man, I've barely seen you all week. It's not like it's any trouble. And besides, you know I'd do anything for pie. Also, Sam would probably appreciate a few fresh apples, the organic-loving freak.

Cas gives him a small smile, that's lights up his blue eyes more than anything else, "Thank you, Dean."

Dean feels warm inside, "No problem, Cas."

........

Cas had met  him by his car after school and Dean took him to a diner before they went to the orchard because "There's no way I'm traipsing through that fruit garden on an empty stomach, Cas.". He didn't even need to ask Sam if he could ride the bus home today. The 13 year-old has been riding it home everyday since he learned this girl in his class Jess rides that bus, too. After the diner, they went straight to the sprawling orchard just on the edge of town.

The crisp autumn air sends a chill coursing through Dean, but the good kind. The sweet, tangy smell of apples permeates the air, and Dean closes his eyes and tries to inhale it as discretely as possible. Frankly, he's a little embarrassed by how much he's enjoying this. The _crunch_ of fallen leaves underneath his boots, the endless acres of trees, is just peaceful. A welcome reprieve from the chaos that is high school.

And Dean can't deny he's relishing every second he has alone with Castiel without Meg trying to butt in.

Castiel is carefully scrutinizing two identical-looking apples in his hands, and Dean can't help saying, "Having fun there, Snow White?"

"As far as know I possess no royal blood, have never randomly broken out into song, and have no affiliation with Disney. I don't know why you would suggest that." It's not that far of a stretch Dean thinks. With his raven-colored hair and fair skin, Castiel is a dead-ringer for a male Snow White.

"Dean, which do you think would make for a more suitable pie: Gravenstein or Idared?" Cas' gravelly voice pulls Dean out of train of thought which Dean is grateful for because it was getting pretty weird.

"The fuck kinds of apples are those?"

"There _are_ other types of apples beside Red Delicious you know." Castiel says rolling his eyes. God, he was such a food snob sometimes. But Dean secretly finds it, and he loathes that this words pops into his mind, adorable. Especially now that Cas' face is all scrunched up regarding both the apples hanging on the separate trees with utmost seriousness.

"Okay, let me rephrase the question then," Cas looks back at him, "Do you prefer a pie that tastes tart or sweet?" He crinkles his brow in thought again, "But perhaps if we're going for a more saccharine we should go for Honeygold, " he almost mumble to himself. Dean can practically hear the wheels turning in his head right now as he categorizes every type of apple of his head and which one would be the most fitting.

Dean snorts, "Cas, don't short-circuit there, alright? I'm sure whatever apple you use your pie will still taste delicious."

Cas smiles, "Thank you for your faith in me, Dean." Suddenly Dean feels warm all over despite the fact it's very chilly. Cas does this all the time. Dean will make an offhanded comment and Cas will thank him with so much genuine _sincerity_ it makes Dean feel... well he doesn't know what he feels.

The shrill ring of his cell phone disturbs the peace of the orchard and _almost_ makes him jump. He looks at the screen and sees that his Dad is calling. He probably wants him to pick up milk on his way home. He saw they were running low this morning.

"Hey, Dad." he answers casually.

"Dean, Sam ran away again."

Dean feels a tiny swell of panic but tamps it down because this isn't the first time and probably won't be the last. He can't help his sigh, "Did you guys fight again?"

"You know how we butt heads sometimes, Dean. We starting having this argument about his future and all and then he disappeared into his room with a huff. When I went to check on him later his window was open and it looked like some of his clothes were missing." John gruff voice sounds worried. "I went looking for him on the route he'd walk to the bus station but I couldn't find him."

"It's okay, Dad. He probably just tried taking a different route this time so we wouldn't find him. I'll go looking for him right now."

"Thanks, son." John only sounds marginally less worried, "Call me if you find him find first." Dean hangs up.

"Did Sam run away again?" Cas asks concerned..

"Yeah" Dean sighs. "I gotta go help find him."

"I'll go with you." Cas says plunking the apples back into the bushels on the ground.

"No, you don't have to." Castiel looks like he's about to protest so Dean continues, "I'm pretty sure I know which way he went this time. Stay here and figure out which apples will be perfect for your pie. I'll be back in no longer than a half hour."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, Cas. I'll be right back," he insists.

.........

Dean left him alone in the orchard and now Castiel is feeling a little lost and worried about Sam. Sure, this isn't the first time he's runaway, maybe the fourth or fifth time by his count, but it doesn't make the danger any less real. Dean had made it out to seem like it was no big thing, but Castiel could tell he still gets a little anxious every time his younger brother runs away. Even if he always manages to get caught again within a couple hours. Castiel wishes Sam could see how distraught his brother and father gets every time he takes off like this.

Still, Castiel pushes the thought out of his head. He has no doubt that Dean is smart and will find Sam. And he's on a mission.

Castiel wishes his grandmother had written down what type of apple she uses in her pie recipe. He knows it probably won't matter what kind of apple he uses that much, but he wants it, needs it to be perfect for Dean, who doesn't even know the sole purpose of that pie was for him. That boy hasn't eaten more pies combined than the entire tri-county area. And he's from a town full of pie-lovers.

He wanted to make Dean a pie because he's been in such a foul mood all week. He's not sure what caused it because he's been distracted helping Meg adjust to her new school all week. He actually doesn't have a problem with Meg, he's actually come to enjoy her friendship, but her incessant flirting has started to become tiresome and he's missed hanging out with Dean. He smiles at a memory he had of Dean just last week.

He had been on his way to History when Uriel had purposely shoved past him, sending his books tumbling out of his hands, and called him a faggot. It wasn't the first time but Castiel had _so not_ been in the mood to hear that for the one hundredth time so he did the only logical thing. He whipped around, punching Uriel square in the face and sending him sprawling across the floor. He didn't know who was more shocked. He then promptly scooped up his books and continued on his way.

When Dean had questioned his about the bruises on his knuckles later and Castiel had relayed the story, he had been so impressed and proud. He had given him _that_ smile. The one that warms Castiel to the very core. Truth be told, the real reason he had wanted to bake the pie was so he could see that smile on Dean's face again when he eats it.

 _'Apples, Castiel. You need to find apples for the pie.'_ After regaining his focus he starts to wander further into the orchard.  He had thought he had seen some Rome Beauty apple trees before. An appropriate choice considering this pie's for Dean. If he pairs those with Granny Smith apples he'll have created the perfect tart yet still mildly sweet pie.

He finds the trees and starts to pick out apples when he hears heavy crunching behind him. He prays that it's only Dean, but he knows he would able to discern Dean's footsteps, and these sound angrier and more deliberate.

"Lookie what we have here, boys. It's Asstiel."

Castiel turns to see not one, but three people glaring at him: Raphael, Zachariah, and Uriel who's still sporting a black eye.

"Hello," Castiel says eyeing them warily, wondering what the hell these guys are doing here.

"We heard overheard Meg complaining you ditched her to go to an apple orchard with Dean. Guess, we're pretty fortunate that turned out to be true." Uriel taunts.

"Where's your little boyfriend?" Raphael asks nastily. When Castiel doesn't answer he continues, "He should've known not to leave you defenseless out here by yourself." He chuckles darkly, "But then again, you should've known not to mess with one of us." Cas looks around for an escape, but all he sees is acres of trees. He could try making a run for it, but he knows he could never outrun all three of the boys, who much more athletically inclined than himself. His heart sinks when he realizes there is no way out.

Raphael steps forward threateningly and that's all the provoking Castiel needs before he's punching him in the face. Zachariah yells and makes a move to grab him so Castiel punches him in the stomach and hits him in the mouth. Uriel grabs a hold of Castiel from behind and Raphael punches him in the stomach.

Cas groans and doubles over in pain. Zachariah grabs hold of him, too and for all his struggling he can't break free of their grasp. Raphael swipes his hand across his mouth to wipe away the blood now gushing from his nose. Despite his better judgement, Castiel smirks with satisfaction. Raphael's dark eyes are glittering with unrestrained anger and thinly veiled disgust.

"Tie him up boys so we can teach Castiel what happens when he forgets his place."  Castiel only just barely restrains himself from scoffing at that ridiculous line.

Uriel is the first one to step forward and when he does Castiel swings his leg up to forcefully kick him. His foot connects with his nose and Uriel rears back in pain. Castiel can already tell his nose is broken, and he doesn't even try to hold back his smirk this time.  Then three sets of fists come raining down on him and Castiel realizes he has quite literally been turned into a human punching bag.

White hot pain flashes behind his closed eyes, and his ribs feel like they're be pounded into oblivion. The rope around his wrists is rubbing his skin raw, and he can feel warm liquid running down his arms.  And the whole time, the three of them are just laughing. Like Castiel's pain is an endless source of amusement.

Castiel wants to beg them to stop, tell them he's had enough, but he refuses to give them the satisfaction. So he just squeezes his eyes shut a little tighter. 

"Look, boys. We've made little Asstiel cry."

He didn't even realize he had been crying. Soon the pain becomes too much and his world goes dark.

........

Dean had been right. Instead of cutting straight through town like he normally would, Sam had taken the long route to the bus station. What he hadn't predicted however is that Sam would constantly switch which back road he was walking on and making unnecessary turns to throw Dean off. Because of this it had taken him twice as long to find Sam and he has left Cas stranded at the orchard for almost an hour.

"You know you really scare the crap outta Dad every time you do this." Dean says to Sam who's sitting grumpily in the back seat with a large duffle bag next to him.

"I don't care. He deserves it." He grumbles.

"You know he doesn't," Dean say wearily. He's used to playing the mediator for Dad and Sam when they get into their fights and frankly he's getting pretty damn tired of it. "What was the fight about this time?

"What it's always about. My future." Sam goes quiet for a second and then he outbursts, "He knows I have big dreams of going away to college! I don't know if I'll be able to make them happen, but I still dream. But Dad, he just wants to keep me under his thumb! He wants me to spend the rest of my life helping him fix cars here in Kansas!  It's like he knows I'm going to fail, and he doesn't even want me to try for something more!"

"And what? You think you're going to prove your independence by running away?"

"...Well no, but... I don't know, Dean!" Sam says exasperated. "I just couldn't stand being around him for another second when all he wants to do is hold me back!"

"Dad is not trying to keep you under his thumb, Sam. And he doesn't believe you'll fail. He's just... afraid. Of being left all alone. He knows I want to go to college outside of Kansas, and now that he finds out you want to, too, I don't know. It'll be the first time he's living without his family since before he met Mom."

Sam sighs and looks out the window, the guilt written plainly across his face. "Damn it, Dean. Why do you have to be so smart?"

"I know right." Dean says, his grin cocky in the rear view mirror, "And you're supposed to be the smarter one."

Sam looks like he disagrees but instead just says, "I'm sorry, Dean."

"Don't tell me you're sorry. Tell Dad. And Cas. I left him stranded in an apple orchard when I got Dad's call."

"An apple orchard?" Confusion and incredulity color his tone.

"Yeah, he wanted fresh apples so he could bake a pie from a grandma's recipe."

The confusion on his face disappears and with a disturbing lack of sarcasm he says "Wow, you must really be smitten with him."

Dean chokes on his spit, "Excuse me?"

"Come on, Dean. You would _never_ go to an apple orchard. I usually have to drag you kicking and screaming to the produce section of the supermarket, and now you're going freaking apple picking?"

Dean feels his face flush "I was just doing a favor for a friend, okay? I'm not _smitten_ with the guy. And Jesus, who still even uses that word? Have you been reading Shakespeare to sleep?"

Sam rolls his eyes, "You practically bend over backwards for Cas, Dean. I once saw you physically threaten a guy just because he 'looked at Castiel a mean way.' And Cas, man, he looks at you like you not only hung the moon, but came up with the concept of having a giant rock revolving the Earth, and then hand drew each constellation to complement that rock."

"Psshhh you don't know what you're talking about, you're just a kid. Cas and I are just friends all right? Best friends. But we don't have feelings for each other. That's absurd."

"If it's not true, then why are you blushing?"

Dean doesn't know how to answer that one so he says nothing. Thankfully, Sam lets the conversation drop.

They pull in front of their house and Sam looks at it like it's a monster that's about to eat him. "Relax, Sammy. Just apologize. He may not admit it, but I know he's sorry, too. Talk it out with him okay? No yelling this time though."

Sam nods and grabs his duffle bag, then slowly walks to the front door, trying to prolong the inevitable as long as possible. He rings the doorbell and the door flies open. Before Sam can even say a word, John has pulled him into a fierce hug. Dean's a little surprised, he's never hugged Sam when he comes back after a runaway attempt, but then again, he's never been gone this long before. And John had been overwrought with worry.

Dean smiles at his brother and father's reconciliation before he drives away to go get Cas.

.........

The sun had already begun to sink when Dean arrived at the orchard, an hour and half has already gone by since he left. Dean feels extremely guilty for leaving Cas here, and he's mentally going through all the ways he could make it up to his best friend.

"Cas?" he calls out. It's eerily quiet except for the crunching of leaves.

He wanders around for fifteen minutes looking and calling out for Cas. He can't remember where he last saw him, and this whole place is a fucking maze. Dean remembers Cas had been debating between Gravenstein and Idared apples when he left but all these trees look the same. He doesn't know how Cas can look at a tree and instantly recognize it's type because to Dean, they're all just apples.

Dean physically smacks himself when he realizes there are little placards in the ground identifying each of the trees.

He finds the Gravenstein and Idared apple trees, but still no sign of Cas. Dean doesn't know if he should be worried he still hasn't found him or relieved that Castiel hadn't been standing in the same spot for an hour and half staring at the same two apples. Because he wouldn't be surprised if that actually happened.

"Cas?" He calls out again meandering through further down the row. He wonders if maybe he got another ride home. But no, Cas would've at least called or texted to let him know.

Dean's starting to feel very anxious when he hears someone cough, and then some ragged breathing. He follows the source of the sound with a pounding heart and that's when he sees him. Beaten bloody and hanging from a tree like some seriously disturbing scarecrow.

"Cas!" He yells and run over.

"Dean." Is the only weak response Dean gets out of the boy before his head is lolling to the side again.

Jesus, he's looks even more terrible up close. Multiple bruises are already blooming around his jaw. Dried blood runs down his arm all caked and flaky, and Dean can see how purple his torso already is from where his shirt is rucked up. Dean makes a choked noise when he see the dried tear tracks running down Castiel's face. How long has been left like this?

"Cas, I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." He's muttering as he reaches up to untie the unconscious Castiel. Or he may be yelling. He doesn't know because all he can hear is white noise. He pulls the ropes free and Castiel collapses. Dean pulls him close to his chest before he hits the ground.

Dean sweeps up the smaller boy, and carries him to his car, grateful that they had ended up not too far away from where he parked. He gingerly lays Cas in the backseat, and then he's off like a rocket rushing Castiel back home. Murmuring apologies over and over again the whole way.

When he finally reaches his house he almost busts down the door trying to get in while carrying Cas at the same time.

Sam turns around from his spot on the couch startled, "Dean, what happened?!"

"I don't know! When I went back to get Cas I found him tied to a tree all bloody like this!"

John emerges from the down the hall, "What are you two-?" He cuts off when he's sees how beaten and bloody Castiel is and then he spurs into action. "Dean, set Castiel down on the couch. Sam, go get a warm wash cloth and the first aid kit from the bathroom." Sam hovers in the living room, looking at Cas with an extremely guilt-stricken look on his face, before he runs to the bathroom.  And then John sets to work. He checks to see if anything important is broken and he has Dean wipe down Castiel's face and arms with the wash cloth.

Dean wipes away the blood and swipes over his tear-stained cheeks tenderly, not wanting to cause him any more pain even though he's still unconscious and probably can't feel a thing.

When John lifts Castiel's shirt to check and see if his ribs are broken, Dean almost faints by all the purple and blue mottled bruises littering his skin. They look much worse in direct light.

"Dad," Dean says brokenly, "Is he going to be alright?" He didn't necessarily just mean the physical injuries.

"Castiel is strong. He'll be just fine."

John calls Castiel's older brother, Gabriel and let him know what happened. Ever since his parents flew the coop, Gabriel was all the other boy had, and vice versa. Dean could hear Gabriel panicking over the phone, and saying he'll end his shift at the hospital early to come right but John insists that Castiel was going to be fine and that they had everything under control.

After John disinfects and bandages any more cuts they find on the boy, he instructs Dean to lie him down on his bed.

Instead of going to sleep on the couch, Dean brought over a chair so he could sit by Castiel. He knew he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight anyway. He doesn't know when he eventually drifted off running his thumb over Castiel's bruised knuckles.

.........

Castiel woke feeling like he just had a temporal shift. He feels very... misplaced. Like he he was ripped out of his time and unceremoniously dropped somewhere several hours later. When he opens his eyes he sees a white ceiling, no different from his own. But the bed around him feels different, smellls different. He turns his head to the side and _oh_. He's in Dean's room, and Dean is sitting in a chair next to the bed, asleep with his head on Castiel's legs. He's also feeling an acute soreness in his torso.

All at once memories of the following evening come rushing back, and he immediately sits up, which regrettably causes Dean to jolt awake as well. Pain flairs all across torso and he intakes a sharp breath. _Bad idea, bad idea, ouch._

"Cas!" Dean sounds panicked and not tired at all, which is ridiculous considering how dark the circles under his eyes are right now. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but Dean why were you sleeping in a chair? You shouldn't have let me take your bed, you look exhausted."

Dean gives him a wide-eyed, incredulous look "Cas, what the hell are you worrying about me for? YOU should be worrying about the fact you look like you went through a wood chipper!"

"I think a meat-tenderizer would be a more accurate description," Castiel feels the bruises around his ribs and winces.

Deans gazes softens, "I'm so sorry, Cas"

"It's not your fault, Dean." Castiel says it softly but sternly. He doesn't want Dean blaming himself for this. It's his own fault for losing his temper last week and punching Uriel. He had brought their wrath down upon himself.

Dean says nothing and instead looks at Castiel's pale hand laying on the mattress. He runs his fingers over the bruises on his knuckles from where he punched back. He gingerly touches the rope burns that look as if they've been seared into Castiel's wrists and to Castiel's utter surprise he brings his wrist up to his mouth and places a tender kiss to the inside. Dean faces turns red and he gently drops Cas' hand, just as shocked at what he just did.

Dean stands and starts to move away, and Cas leans over abruptly to stop him. He intakes another sharp breath and winces in pain again. Dean give him a sympathetic look. His eyes sweep over Cas' split lip and bruised face and suddenly he looks furious.

"Who did this to you?" He could see righteous anger burning behind Dean's eyes.

He was going to say no one important, but he could tell Dean wasn't going to let it go. He averted his gaze and quietly said, "Uriel, Raphael, and Zachariah."

Dean clenches his fists and intakes a sharp breath, "I fuckin' knew it." He stands and starts to pace angrily, "I'm going to kill them. I'm going to rip their fucking lungs out!"

"Dean, please calm down. You're not going to go after them." He tries to shoot for a placating voice not sure how effective it will be.

"The hell I won't, Cas! Those son of bitches deserve it and worse!", Dean practically shouts.

"Dean, I'm fine, really. Just a little bruised in some places. Nothing worth getting worked up about. You don't need to go being my avenging angel or whatever."

"How could you say that, Cas?" He stops his pacing to look at him, and then gets furious all over again when he sees the dark bruise along Castiel's jawline. "They need to learn that NO ONE touches you, no one lays a hand on you! Not Meg, not Raphaell, not Zachariah, and certainly not that douchebag Uriel!"

Cas tilts his head and squints at Dean, "Why Meg?"

"What?' Dean halts his pacing again and looks at Castiel confused.

"Why did you include Meg in that list? She has never physically tried to assault me."

"Um..." A flush begins to spread across Dean's cheeks, "I don't know why I said that, I was just going on a rant y'know?"

"Oh," Castiel says flatly. What had he been expecting? For Dean to admit that he was jealous? ' _Wait, why do I hope Dean was jealous?'_

Dean clears his throat, "So do you wanna go downstairs for some breakfast?"

Castiel doesn't really know the answer to that one. On the one hand he's really hungry. On the other, he never wants to leave the comfort and security of Dean's bed. Castiel's rumbling stomach answers the question for both of them.

.............

"Why Meg?" Castiel questions after Dean finishes his tirade.

Dean stops to look a very confused head-tilted Castiel. "What?" He says dumbly.

"Why did you include Meg in that list? She never physically tried to assault me." _Unless you count that time she grabbed your ass in the hallway,_ Dean thinks.

"Um..." _Real fucking eloquent, Winchester._ "I don't know why I said that, I was just going on a rant, y'know?"

"Oh." _Wait, did he sound... disappointed?_

Dean realizes he and Cas have been staring at each other for a few seconds without saying anything, and suddenly Dean feels exposed. Like he has a spotlight on him and he's holding a neon sign that says "I'm actually really fucking attracted to you and like you much more than a friend and I all I really want to do is-"

_Crap, where the hell did that come from? Change of subject NOW, Winchester._

"So do you wanna go downstairs for breakfast?"

.............

Cas decides to stay the whole weekend after Dean practically insists. He called Gabriel and let him know he was staying over again. He even came over to bring Cas a bag full of clothes and stuff. Dean really thinks he just wanted to see the damage done to his baby brother himself. He could see the concern evident on his face, and Dean felt ashamed of himself all over again, for not being their to protect Cas.

At some point after the movie they were watching finished, Castiel fell asleep on the couch. Dean stares at his rumpled form and is hit with the sudden feeling of adoration and the need to protect. An idea forms in his mind. He watches Cas for another moment before throwing a blanket over him and taking this opportunity to sneak out to the farmer's market down the road.

.............

For the second time that day Castiel wakes up confused of his surroundings. He relaxes when he realizes he's in the Winchester's living room. Castiel wonders what woke him up, and then he smells a wonderful scent which answers his question.

He yawns and stretches. Dean must hear this because he pokes his head out of the kitchen and says, "Oh good, you're awake." He brings to steaming plates of apple pie with whipped cream to the couch.

Upon seeing his surprised face Dean says, "Did I ever mention I actually rock at baking?" Then, as an afterthought, "If you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you." Cas just laughs and decides not to comment on the shy blush that had bloomed across Dean's face.

He accepts the proffered pie with a smile. Castiel's heart actually aches at the sweet gesture. He knows Dean did this because he still feels guilty, even though he really shouldn't. But _this._ This is the side of Dean Winchester not many get to see. This is the reason Castiel finally realizes that he is in love with Dean Winchester.

Castiel takes a bite of the pie and moans obscenely. Dean's eyes widen and they flicker with something he doesn't recognize. Castiel doesn't have time to analyze it because suddenly he's laughing, "Dean, you have flour in your hair."

"Oh yeah, well," he takes a scoop of whipped cream and deposits it on Castiel's head, "You somehow got whipped cream in your hair. Honestly, Castiel,I don't what I'm going to do with you." Now they're both laughing uncontrollably and Cas thinks he's okay that his love is unrequited. Because he'll take whatever he can get with Dean.

.............

Monday finally rears it's ugly head destroying the perfect safe haven he had built with Cas and they once again have to return to school. Dean seems even more nervous about it than Castiel does. Cas isn't even angry about what happened to him, he just accepted it and is trying to move on. Somehow that only serves to make Dean more mad. Zachariah, Uriel and Raphael _will_ pay for hurting Cas.

He corners each of them separately. He catches Uriel alone in the locker room. He has a pretty bad broken nose and Dean feels a swell of pride for Castiel. Had it been a fair fight, one on one, he has know doubt Castiel could of easily kicked this douche's ass. Without preamble Dean waltz straight up to Uriel and decks him in the face, causing him howl in pain. Dean lands a couple more blows and then he threatens in a low growl, "If I ever hear of you lay a finger on Castiel again, I will tear at your throat with my teeth. Got it?" Uriel nods, and Dean punches him once more in the stomach.

By fifth period, Zachariah has two black eyes that Dean thinks nicely complement his split lip courtesy of Castiel.

Raphael was the most difficult to convince but Dean rather enjoyed beating the shit out of him until he swore to never even _look_ in Castiel's direction again.

Dean was putting away his books at the end of the day when Cas stopped by his locker to meet him.

"Dean, I heard Raphael, Uriel, and Zachariah got their asses kicked today. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"No idea, Cas."

Castiel narrows his eyes suspiciously and grabs Dean's hand to inspect his knuckles, which were just as cut and bruised and he expected them to be. He reverently brushes his thumb over the abused knuckles in a mirror of what Dean did just a couple days ago and gives him a small, shy smile "You didn't need to do that."

"Yeah, Cas. I did." Dean says softly.

Then off courses Meg has to saunter up and ruin the moment. "Hey Clarence. You look a like you just lost a boxing match with a kangaroo on steroids."

Castiel hesitates, "Ah, yes. There was an unfortunate occurrence this weekend."

"An unfortunate occurrence, eh? Maybe you should come over to my place and tell me all about it." Meg pointedly ignores the death glare she's receiving from Dean, which only furthers his irritation. The least she could do was acknowledge his hatred.

Castiel looks torn, like he really doesn't want to go but doesn't want to hurt Meg's feelings. "I, uh, really don't think that-"

"Oh come on, Clarence. We could play nurse and patient." She leans forward until her lips are brushing the shell of his ear, "I think it would be pretty hot."

"Get the hell off of him." Dean growls. Castiel widens his eyes in surprise at the animosity in Dean's tone.

"What was that?" Meg raises an eyebrow.

"I said, get your damn hands off him," his voice sounds dangerously low.

"Wow, you're really harshing my mellow, Winchester." She sounds unperturbed but she drops her hands anyway and backs away from Castiel. "I'll catch you later, Clarence."

Cas looks at Dean with confused wide blue eyes, "What was that all about Dean?"

"Nothing." Dean huffs and slams his locker.

"No, I want to know. Did Meg do something to you? I know she's kinda my friend now but if she did something-"

"She didn't do anything to me, Cas."

Castiel tilts his head, "Then why were you so mean to her?" Dean can't tell if Castiel actually has no clue or if he does have a clue and he's just trying to goad Dean on. Judging by his innocent stare Dean guesses it's the former. The oblivious idiot.

Dean says nothing and stares at him.

Cas huffs out in annoyance and starts to turn away, "Well since you were rude to her for no reason I have to go find her and apologize and maybe invite her over as a reconciliati-"

Dean grabs him by the elbow and spins him around, "Don't do that."

"Why?" Cas looks angry and confused and so pretty.

"Because... because-"

Castiel rolls his eyes and start to pull away and Dean panics and kisses him. Mashes their mouths together is more accurate, but he's desperate. He needs to show Cas how he feels before he goes running off to Meg, to show him that he actually really likes them. And that's the reason why he _can't stand_ when Meg is running her hands all over him. Because when words fail, Dean Winchester is a man of action.

Castiel is shocked, and remains unresponsive for so long that Dean starts to pull away in worry. But then Cas grabs the back of Dean's head and holds him place so he can give him a slow, proper kiss, to which Dean responds enthusiastically by wrapping his hands around his waist and pulling him closer. Cas tastes sweeter than he expected, and Dean knows now that he will be forever be addicted to this taste like a drug addict.

They only pull away when other students start whooping and catcalling.

"...So you were jealous." Cas gives him smug smile after catching his breath.

"A little... Okay, a lot." Dean admits.

Cas rolls his eyes, still smiling and they exit the building side by side, bumping shoulders, "You really should apologize to Meg." Castiel says.

"Or we could make out in front of her locker everyday so she can eat her heart out."

Castiel just gives him a look and Dean relents, "Fine, I'll say I'm sorry."

Castiel gives him a kiss on the cheek by way of thank you and Dean thinks perhaps he should be thanking Meg after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I'm still fairly new to fanfiction writing and hope my writing did't make you wanna barf :)  
> If anyone interested my [tumblr](http://kissyoursanitygoodbye.tumblr.com/) is here


End file.
